1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to radar detection of targets, and more particularly, to the design of a waveform s(t) to be transmitted to the target such that the radar receiver's output (response to the target's echo) signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) is maximized.
2. Description of the Related Art
The state of the art of detecting low observable aircraft or other targets using radar has not advanced as quickly as the crafts themselves and their ability to evade detection. Detection to date has been limited in the type and character of modulation that could be applied to a transmitted signal. For example, the transmitters were incapable of applying arbitrary amplitude and phase modulation. With the advent of linear amplifiers and other transmitter improvements, however, arbitrary amplitude and phase modulation is now possible.
Even with new linear amplifier technology, a fundamental difficulty exists in the design of a matched illumination-reception (OMIR) radar. This difficulty is the design of an illumination waveform, or transmitted pulse, that is optimized to result in the maximum SNR for the received echo signal. In order to optimize the illumination waveform, detailed scattering characteristics of the target, as well as other characteristics such as system bandwidth, must be incorporated into the waveform design process.